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dustrial disturbances, the political
bosses' may make it difficult for them
to be renominated, and the news
paper bdsses may defeat them for re
election if they are nominated.
The truth is judges are no differ
ent from the rest"ofsjus: They are
slaves. Not-one of them is free. A
strong judge knows he can't"stay on
the bench and be free. That's-why
some of them resign.
Judges know that on a showdown
newspapers that are slaves of adver
tisers or Big Business will oppose, the
election of judges that don't conduct
themselves on the bench as those in
terests think they ought to.
Under our system of political nom
inations and elections, the moment a
judge takes his seat on the bench he
must prepare for renomination and
re-election. Unless he is an unusual
ly strong character and not many of
, them are unusually strong charac
ters he will be careful not to offend
the powers that make and unmake'
judges. He wants to save his job.
That will be so as long as we have
government by newspaper controlled
.politicians.
1 1f I had my way about it I would
have judges elected for an indefinite
term, subject to recall by the people.
That would mean'that a judge would
stay on the bench during good be
havior and the people would be the
judges as' to whether his behavior
was good' or bad.
I would then favor recalling a
judge "who didn't have brains enough
tx interpret the law with an intelli
gent understanding of what public
opinion Svants thelaw to be.
But even v before we can have 'it
that way and get what the people
wan we -must get rid of newspaper
government. It's too easy now for
Special Priyilege to secretly control
newspapers, color the news and fool
the public.
It's all rot o elect a judge because
he happens to be a Democrat or Re
publican because neither of those
words means anything nowadays.
While I would feel more hopeful of
getting justice for workers faom a
Socialist judge than from a Repub-
lican, a Democrat or a Progressive
judge, still I would prefer a judge
who owed no allegiangp to any party,
class or special; interest just a judge,
or a juet judge one who couldnt '
tell the difference between fnend or
foe or party tags and labels. ,
But it wouldn't help any to try to K
ascertain the difference between I
Judges Stewart and Windes. I as- .
sume that both are huinan beings;
that both wear pants and socks, eat,
sleep and love and are loved. One may
wear a different colored necktie f rom
the other: one mav be older and'have
bieeer feet than the other but that t. M
cuts no figure. It all depends upon'lj
how their minds work, what their
ideals are and how much courage
they have.
I presume judges are like so many'
workingmen who salaam to the boss
because they want to hang onto their
jobs. And with pohtics as they are
now, the' better the judge the more V
danger he, is in of losing his job.
If we ever achieve genuine de
li niocracy in this alleged republic, then
uie juster a. juuge is uib. iiaruer it
will be for the hosts of privilege to
get his goat or his job.
It may help some for the people
to forget their politics and defeat, on
election day every judge whose ideas
of law and justice they don't like.
o o
MOTHER TANGOOSE
Solomon Grundy
' Hesitated Monday,
One stepped Tuesday, y,
Tangoed Wednesday,
Lame-ducked Thursday,
Maxixed Friday,
Half-and-halfed Saturday,
And as there was" nothing left to
learn except La Furlana, which isn't
popular yeb,
Rested Sunday
This is the end .
Of Solomon Grundy.
New York Tribune. ,
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